Recently Heidi Blickenstaff joined iHeartRadio Broadway's SJ Arnegger to talk about joining the cast of Jagged Little Pill. Outer Critics Circle and Grammy Award nominee Heidi Blickenstaff (she/her - Something Rotten!, [title of show], Disney Channel’s Freaky Friday) joins the company as Mary Jane Healy – who steps into the show’s leading role during the maternity leave of Tony-nominated original star Elizabeth Stanley. Stanley returned to the role of Mary Jane on a limited schedule beginning in November, thereafter sharing the role with Blickenstaff. Blickenstaff star alongside returning Tony-nominated original cast members Derek Klena (he/him) as Nick Healy, Sean Allan Krill (he/him) as Steve Healy, Kathryn Gallagher (she/her) as Bella, and Lauren Patten (she/her) as Jo
New to the ensemble cast are Runako Campbell (she/her), Janine DiVita (she/her), Veronica Otim (she/her), Wren Rivera (they/them), and Grace Slear (they/them). They join the returning company of Annelise Baker (she/her), Yeman Brown (he/they), Jane Bruce (she/her), John Cardoza (he/him), Ken Wulf Clark (he/him), Laurel Harris (she/her), Logan Hart (he/him), Zach Hess (he/him), Max Kumangai (he/him), Heather Lang (she/her), Kelsey Orem (she/her), DeAnne Stewart (she/her), and Kei Tsuruharatani (they/them).
“We couldn't think of a better person to share the role of Mary Jane Healy than the extraordinarily talented virtuoso Heidi Blickenstaff, who is bringing her own unique interpretation to the role,” said producer Eva Price. “We can't wait for these two women to thrill and inspire audiences at the Broadhurst this fall."
Inspired by the seminal rock album of the same name by seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill is an “electrifying, visceral and stunning” (The Hollywood Reporter) new musical with an original story about a perfectly imperfect American family, written by Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody(Juno, Tully). Ignited by Morissette’s groundbreaking lyrics and music – from beloved hits such as “You Oughta Know,” “Head Over Feet,” “Hand In My Pocket,” and “Ironic”, to brand new songs written for the show – Jagged Little Pill is directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus(Waitress, Pippin). Through explosive choreography by Tony Award nominee and frequent Beyoncé collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (“Apesh*t”; “Love Drought/Sandcastles” Live at The Grammys), and the raw power of an onstage band under the Musical Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements of Grammy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, American Idiot), the musical creates a spellbinding experience that “vaults the screaming audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway.” (The New York Times, ‘Critic’s Pick’).
The Tony-nominated Jagged Little Pill creative team includes Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez (Parade), Costume Designer Emily Rebholz (Dear Evan Hansen), Lighting Designer Justin Townsend (Moulin Rouge!), Sound Designer Jonathan Deans (Waitress), and Video Designer Lucy Mackinnon (Spring Awakening); alongside Hair, Wig, and Make-up Designer J. Jared Janas (Sunset Boulevard). Production Stage Management is by Ira Mont (The Producers).
Jagged Little Pill opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on Thursday, December 5, 2019 following its record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, MA. The pre-Broadway world premiere production of Jagged Little Pill ran for 79 sold-out performances, from May 5–July 15, 2018, marking the longest-running and highest-grossing production in the theater’s history.